G'day! Welcome to Astropete's Astronomy Gallery, showcasing a collection of awe-inspiring astrophotography. Explore the cosmos through the lens of a passionate stargazer, capturing the beauty of the universe from near Melbourne, Australia. Witness Saturn's majesty, the ethereal glow of a Lunar Eclipse, the vibrant Trifid Nebula, and the distant Andromeda Galaxy, all from the comfort of your couch.

First-my equipment!
Reengaging with a childhood hobby, I wanted the best gear I could afford. I started with an 8" Newtonian reflector on a Celestron AVX equatorial go-to mount. After my first QHY5III174c camera, I upgraded to a QHY168C with internal cooling with which I could shoot with a sensor temperature of -25C to minimise noise.

The 8" Newtonian set up for a nights shooting-below

Closeup of AVX mount

QHY168c camera with filter wheel on the Newtonian

After 4 years and not getting any younger, the gear I loved became too heavy for me to setup / pack up, so I switched to a ZWO Seestar S50 smart telescope-as seen below. A childhood hobby resurrected! The gear I loved was gifted to great friends who I know will enjoy what a wider aperture can capture.

All my astropics are processed using a payware program PixInsight. A gem of a program but another steep learning curve!

                                   Now for what I have captured with this gear!

Astrophotography is possibly the hardest facet of photography to master! Its a steep learning curve, and takes hours of successes and failures along the way. Have I succeeded?
                                                              You be the judge!

Andromeda Galaxy

Some call this Hamburger Galaxy aka Centaurus A

Full Moon

Totally eclipsed moon or Blood Moon with my shot of Saturn added for effect.

Just after totality

Lunar craters

Old moon in New Moons arms-"dark" part is lit up by reflected sunlight from earth. This is visible to the naked eye!

New Moon showing craters

Helix Nebula

Rosette Nebula

Flame & Horse Head Nebulae

Pillars of Creation in Ha light

Pleiades without nebulae showing

Star Trails shot from Ladys Pass Victoria

Great Orion Nebula

Sculptor Galaxy

Statue of Liberty Nebula in HA light

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

Great Barred Spiral Galaxy

Lagoon Nebula

Galaxy Cluster

Tarantula Nebula

Southern Pleiades

Cats Paw Nebula

Galaxy Cluster

Galaxy Cluster

Trifid Nebula-stars removed

Gabriel-Mistral Nebula in Ha

Spider Nebula in Ha

Sombrero Galaxy

Wishing Well Cluster

Southern Cross!!

The Emu from Indigenous Astronomy

Saturn

Sun with sunspots

The beauty of the cosmos

Photographing the night sky in Australia offers unique advantages, including access to some of the best dark sky sites and stunning views toward the centre of our galaxy. Each image tells a story, revealing the beauty that surrounds us and reminding us that we are part of a much bigger whole. Capturing Saturn was a challenge as initial focusing and framing was difficult and painstaking. Then the post processing was just as challenging to get the required result.